The 2013 World Series has taken an unusual path that is normally reserved for Game Six situations. With the Series knotted at one win apiece, Game Three ended on a rarely seen obstruction call by the infamous Jim Joyce against Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks as St. Louis Cardinals pinch-hitter Allen Craig was trying to make a mad dash to score the game-winning run after a Jarrod Saltalamacchia throwing error. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, Game Four ended with the Red Sox once again knotting the Series after Kolten Wong was caught napping as a pinch-runner for Craig by Red Sox closer Koji Uehara. Both games had incredible tide-turning moments as well, yet Game Five is where the Series currently stands and only three legitimate, “by the rules” crazy-ending scenarios remain as possible outcomes for tonight’s game: a walk-off balk, bases loaded hit-by-pitch or a game-winning wild pitch. Yes, there are other scenarios that could be equally as bizarre as the likes that have been witnessed, which also means that the possibility of seeing a Hollywood action hero running around the stadium, much like Robert Shaw during Super Bowl X, really isn’t absurd. But, this is all really getting away from the point. This year’s World Series, in some weird way, has been one of the best in the last 20 years. No team’s lead has been safe, and there has clearly been no real indicator of either team harboring any kind of momentum going into the next game. After all, each team has alternated wins for every game thus far. With Jon Lester and Adam Wainwright taking the mound for their respective team’s for the second time in the Series, perhaps tonight will provide the missing sense of balance that vanished only a few innings into Game One. Or, the fabric of all humanity will come crumbling to the ground as the Series moves on. Either way, we’re all in for a treat.

Jonny Gomes was 0-9 in the Series before an extra dose of “beard power” helped drive the 2-2 fastball from Cardinals reliever Seth Maness over the left field wall to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead which would inevitably be the game-winning runs. Originally Gomes wasn’t even supposed to start, but ended up being added to the roster roughly 90 minutes before the game started in favor of an ailing Shane Victorino. This pretty much goes to show that anyone at anytime for any reason can be the hero of the game. As for as consistency is concerned, David Ortiz has been getting the job almost single-handedly on offense as he is now batting .727 with two home runs and five RBI in the Series, a 180-degree turnaround from his .091 effort in the American League Championship Series. The only thing left to do now is for him to share his tips of hitting with every other member of the Sox as they can certainly use it. With the exception of Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts and obviously Ortiz, no other player is hitting above .200. Stephen Drew, of all people, is the one who really needs to step up as he is hitting .089 in the postseason and has struck out seven times (out of 17) with runners in scoring position. Drew is too much of a defensive specialist to leave on the bench, but something needs to click in a hurry. Lester getting back on the mound, on paper, is a terrific shot in the arm for the Red Sox. In Game One he went 7 2/3 innings while not allowing a run and striking out eight batters. Even with that game occurring at Fenway Park, there is little to prove that tonight’s game at Busch Stadium will be any different, just as long as the bats can give him some support.

As disappointing as it is for the Cardinals to lose a game in the manner they did, this shouldn’t be any bit of an indicator that they’re out; just ask the Red Sox. Game Five is another day and the final chance the Cardinals have to take command of the series at home. It’s hard to say if whether or not Game One was a fluke for Wainwright as it was not only the first game of his career against the Red Sox, but also his first start in the World Series. Wainwright is a sharp pitcher who learns quickly from his mistakes. There is no doubt that he has been watching game film of his body motions and release points as to not have a repeat performance. All that’s really left to do is the offensive power of Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Yadier Molina and a hopefully soon-100 percent Craig to keep putting runs on the board. Jon Jay should be left on the bench in favor of Shane Robinson is the Cardinals want to have any shred of a chance of winning their 12th World Series title.

In the end, the Red Sox have way too much going for them. Game Five will more than likely start as a pitchers duel through the first four innings, but only as long as Wainwright is able to hone in and hit his marks without any issues from his delivery. If not, the Fenway Faithful will be singing praises as Game Six heads back to Boston. The Cardinals have had the slight edge as far as a collective batting average is concerned (.235), but even with the Red Sox hitting .189 as a team they’ve been able to score six more runs than the Red Birds. As long as Ortiz stays hot and the additional bats of Pedroia, Gomes and even a late-inning pinch-hitting Mike Napoli can stay true to form, it’s very likely that the Red Sox will be left standing at game’s end.